After spending a month around Darwin, waiting for our cruising permit for Indonesia while checking out the outback and arranging for crew to sail with Rolf, we were finally able to set sail again. I write we, but Boukje actually flew over to Bali and spend a week in a retreat being spoiled (being pregnant isn’t so bad). Rolf on the other hand motored Helena for 850 windless miles over the Indian Ocean. His great consolation: once on Bali he would finally be able to eat a kroket again!

People often ask us what our most scary moment has been at sea. Usually we answer that we haven’t really been in any scary situations, as we try to avoid storms and rough seas and that kind of stuff. Oh sure, we’ve sailed out of an atoll, along the wrecks of two big cargo ships, with 48 knots winds (10 beaufort) on the bow, heavy waves, an engine held together by superglue and cable ties and sails that were damaged and barely holding on; but that was a calculated risk. But now for the first time in 2,5 years of sailing Rolf ran into something he really considered somewhat scary.

We have arrived in our final port of call in Australia: Darwin. As we have been very, very lazy in updating this website, I will try and bring you up to speed on the developments on board of Helena since July quickly: The repairs in Cairns have gone well, the boat looks and feels great again. We had Eric en Maxine crew with us for 2 months. Boukje returned on board in the beginning of August. We sailed from Cairns, via Cooktown, Barrier Reef and Torres Strait to Darwin. In a couple of weeks we’ll leave Darwin to sail to Bali and Singapore.

And now some pictures